always a bigger bed to crawl into
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: Kirsten is sick, but she has some wonderful nursemaids to get her better. Kirsten/Sandy/Sophie post-series fic.


A/N: I love Sophie Cohen too much for the amount of information we know about her (for reference, I've cast Elle Fanning as Sophie, so that's how I see her in my head). Just cute, fluffy fic about my favorite fictional family.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characterization of Sophie.

* * *

Sandy Cohen knew his wife was not a morning person. She didn't function well before seven, and was almost impossible to live with without a cup of coffee.

So, when he came back from his morning surf, he wasn't all that surprised to find Kirsten still curled up under the covers, blonde head just peeking out from under the blue duvet. He smiled fondly, leaving her to sleep as he took a shower, but was surprised when the sound of running water didn't cause Kirsten to rise. She stirred when he came in to get dressed, but didn't say anything aside from a quiet moan.

"Kirsten?" he asked softly, sinking down beside her, reaching a hand forwards to brush some of the blonde hair from her forehead, frowning at the heat radiating there. "Honey?"

A low, pained hum was all he received before Kirsten turned into his hand, blinking sleepy eyes open, a frown twisting her mouth. "I feel like crap."

Her voice was hoarse and congested, her tongue darting out to wet dry lips as she blinked again, curling into Sandy's side and tugging the blanket closer around her as she shivered. Sandy tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, frown deepening at the uncomfortable moan she let out as she buried her face further into the pillow. "Oh honey, it looks like you caught that bug Sophie brought home last week."

"I'm never volunteering with the kindergarten ever again," she replied hoarsely, bringing a hand to her face and rubbing her eyes, blinking slowly. Sandy brushed her hair out of her face again before laying his hand on her forehead. "I'm cold."

"That's probably the fever talking. I'll get the Tylenol and a cup of water, okay?" Sandy said softly, easing his weight off the bed slowly so he didn't jostle Kirsten before heading into the bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet and filling up a cup with water before bringing them back into the bedroom, where Kirsten lay shivering under the blankets. "Here we go, can you sit up a little?"

With a little adjusting, Sandy helped Kirsten move into a half-sitting position, resting against a pillow as he handed her the pills and the water. She swallowed them with a wince, blinking a few times before taking another sip of the water and curling back up under the blanket, shifting so that her head was in Sandy's lap. Sandy ran a gentle hand through her hair, thumb brushing her jaw lightly. "Can I get you anything else honey?"

Kirsten shook her head, nestling further into his side. "Stay with me?"

"I've gotta go check on Soph, then I'll come back, okay baby?" Sandy replied, helping her curl into a pillow and adjusting the blankets around her, making sure the tissues and water were within reaching distance before walking quietly out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

Walking down the hall, he found Sophie sitting up in bed, blonde curls a mess and one of her books in her lap- she didn't know most of the words, so she made the story up based on the pictures. Sandy leaned against the doorframe, a smile on his face as he listened to his daughter spin a tall tale about a mouse that could fly.

"Daddy!" Having finally caught sight of him, Sophie tossed her book aside and scrambled off the bed, running towards him. He scooped her up, pressing a flurry of kisses to her cheeks as she giggled and tried to move away, unable to go far while in his arms. "Daddy, stop, no more kisses!"

Pulling away, Sandy laughed, shifting Sophie to his hip as he headed towards the kitchen, one of her small hands on his neck, the other clutching his shirt. "How about a bagel for breakfast? Sound good Soph?"

Sophie made a noise of agreement, burying her face in Sandy's neck as he brought her into the kitchen, depositing her in a chair before moving over to the counter, slicing a bagel and putting it in the toaster.

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" Sophie asked, looking up from the glass of juice he'd placed in front of her. Sandy looked up from the bagel, smiling slightly at the frown twisting his daughter's mouth.

"She's not feeling too well- remember how you didn't feel too good last week? That's how Mommy's feeling this morning," Sandy answered, placing the halves on the bagel on two plates, setting one in front of Sophie along with a stack of napkins.

"Did _I_ get Mommy sick?" Sophie asked, looking horrorstruck at the mere possibility. Sandy hid his laugh in his bagel before shaking his head, ruffling his daughter's already sleep-rumpled curls.

"Of course not sweetheart," Sandy replied, watching Sophie rip part of her bagel off and pop it into her mouth, just like Kirsten did with her bagels. It was amazing how much Sophie looked like Kirsten; Seth had taken after him, but Sophie was all Kirsten, with the blonde hair and blue eyes. "Everybody gets sick, you know that. And this just means you and I have to be your mom's nurses today."

Sophie giggled, smearing some cream cheese on her upper lip, and Sandy shook his head fondly before leaning over to wipe it off, causing Sophie to giggle even further. "You are a mess, Sophie Rose Cohen."

After breakfast, Sandy helped Sophie pick out her outfit, and after reassuring himself she could get dressed by herself, headed back into the master bedroom. Kirsten had shifted towards the center of the bed; her face was buried in his pillow, tissues clutched in her hand and breathing labored through her stuffed-up nose.

Sandy crept forward, refilling the cup of water and grabbing another box of tissues before settling down beside Kirsten, stroking a hand over her head and relieved to find it cooler than earlier. She didn't stir much other than to nestle further into his pillow, so he left quietly; content to let her sleep while he kept Sophie entertained.

Sophie picked a movie at Sandy's suggestion- she predictably chose Tangled, her current favorite movie. They sat together on the couch, Sophie's head in his lap as he read over a few of his students' essays, listening to his daughter laugh and sing along with the movie, his hand occasionally dropping down to brush through her soft blonde curls.

By the time the movie was over, Sandy had read through all of the essays and Sophie was hungry- they moved to the kitchen, where Sandy made a sandwich for Sophie and found a can of soup to heat up to hopefully tempt Kirsten with. When it was finished, Sandy had Sophie help him set up a tray with soup and crackers and juice, before letting her lead the way to the bedroom.

After reminding her to wake Kirsten up gently, he followed her into the darkened room, watching his daughter climb up on the bed and gently shake his wife's shoulder. Kirsten stirred, half-smiling when she encountered Sophie, reaching a hand up to brush her blonde curls back.

"Daddy said you didn't feel good," Sophie said, cuddling into Kirsten's side as Kirsten shifted onto her back, sitting up slightly. "We brought you soup! And I poured the juice myself- it's _my_ juice but since you're sick you can have it Mommy."

"Well thank you honey," Kirsten said softly, voice still hoarse as she smiled up at Sandy as he placed the tray over her lap.

"Feeling any better?" Sandy asked, settling by Kirsten's knees as Sophie stole a cracker and Kirsten took a few sips of juice. Kirsten nodded, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose.

"I think the meds are working," she replied, smiling down at Sophie when the little girl handed her a cracker, nibbling on it to appease her. "My head is still clogged though."

"Want to try a shower? Might help," Sandy suggested, watching as Kirsten swirled her spoon through the soup. She sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead and nodding.

"I think a shower would be good," she answered, sniffling and looking downright miserable. Sandy rubbed his hand over her knee in sympathy, squeezing gently as Sophie urged Kirsten to drink more juice to feel better. "Thank you for the soup, Soph- why don't you bring it downstairs and I'll heat it back up after a shower?"

"Okay Mommy!" Sophie said, beaming at her as Kirsten tucked some of her curls behind her ear. "Can I pick out new pjs for you?"

With a laugh, Kirsten let her; Sophie scrambled off the bed happily, running towards the closet. Sandy moved the tray to the bedside table, scooting closer to Kirsten and stretching out beside her, tugging her to rest against him despite her protests. "I'm not gonna get sick honey, just lay down a minute."

Relenting, Kirsten tucked herself against his chest, head under his chin and arm around his waist. Sighing, she let herself relax, coughing as she closed her eyes. "She's been good this morning?"

"She's always good," Sandy answered with a smile, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, fingers curling into her blonde hair gently. "We watched a movie, she had a sandwich- figured maybe I'd call Ryan, see how he's doing, if he wants to come to dinner this week."

"That'd be nice," Kirsten replied, voice sleepy as she snuggled further into Sandy, lulled by his warmth.

"You falling asleep on me again?" he asked quietly, a smile in his voice as she shook her head, smiling into his chest.

"Mommy I got new pjs for you!" Sophie announced as she returned to the room, a pair of pink and yellow flannel pants and an oversized long-sleeved Berkeley shirt in her hands and a proud smile on her face. Kirsten smiled in return, sitting up and sniffling as she took the clothes from her daughter.

"These look perfect sweetie," she said, brushing a hand over her head before getting out of bed with a groan. "How about you and Daddy pick a movie we can all watch on the couch after I take a shower?"

Sophie nodded vigorously, throwing herself across her mom's lap to hug her before jumping off the bed and running down the hall. Kirsten disappeared to get a pair of thick, fuzzy socks and new underwear, rolling her eyes when Sandy let out a low whistle at the plain, pink cotton pair she chose. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little under the weather today, Sandy."

"And I can't find my wife's underwear attractive?" Sandy asked, laughing at the glare Kirsten gave him; the pink nose and messy hair made the look cuter than she'd probably intended. "Go shower, babe. I'll entertain the six year old for a while longer."

"I appreciate that, since I entertain her five days of the week," Kirsten called over her shoulder as she shut the bathroom door; Sandy collected the tray with the soup and brought it back to the kitchen, leaving it for Kirsten to heat up when she felt hungry.

"Daddy I picked a movie!" Sophie exclaimed, sliding into the kitchen on her socks with a DVD case clutched in her hand. "We're gonna watch Anastasia! 'member Aunt Taylor gave it to me for my birthday?"

"You haven't watched that movie enough?" Sandy teased, smile widening at the outraged look on Sophie's face as she folded her arms over her chest. "Think it's too early to make some popcorn Sophie?"

At her insistent head shake, Sandy had Sophie help him set the time on the microwave, and just as they were pouring the freshly popped popcorn into a bowl, Kirsten entered the kitchen, damp hair tucked behind her ears. "Feel a little better sweetheart?"

"I do, thank you," Kirsten said, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing as she passed, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and moving to the sink to fill it with water. "What're we watching today, Sophie?"

"Anastasia!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly, beaming up at Kirsten as she went through the steps to make tea. "Are you going to have your soup Mommy?"

"I think I'm going to try some tea first, and then see how I feel," Kirsten answered, dropping a hand to brush through Sophie's curls, fingers gently untangling a knot she encountered. "Why don't you and Daddy go start the movie and I'll meet you on the couch?"

Sophie nodded excitedly, tugging Sandy along with her into the living room as Kirsten finished making her tea and brought it into the living room, where Sophie excitedly patted the spot between herself and Sandy on the couch. Kirsten settled down, Sandy's arm slipping around her shoulders and Sophie's head resting on her chest, and she relaxed with a smile. Sophie skipped through the previews, remote in hand as she twisted herself to fit comfortably into Kirsten's side, elbow digging into her thigh slightly before she stopped moving.

Somewhere through the third musical number she fell asleep; she woke up during the credits with her nose buried in Sandy's collar, his fingers tracing light circles into her shoulder. Sophie was subdued, head in her lap as she hummed softly. Kirsten shifted slightly, stretching as she let out a soft sigh, feeling Sandy's fingers drift done her shoulder to rest against her side as she pressed against him.

"Hey sleepyhead," he murmured in her ear, lips curling into a smile at her soft giggle. Sophie stirred slightly, lifting her head to beam up at her mom.

"You missed the movie Mommy, but that's okay, we'll watch it again when you're better," she said, smiling when Kirsten tucked a few blonde curls behind her ear. "Do you want some soup now?"

"You know, I think I would like to try some soup," Kirsten said, smiling as Sophie bounced up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. Kirsten stretched, humming contentedly when Sandy rubbed his hand over her back, sighing softly as she leaned back into him. "Is there fresh soup, by any chance?"

"I found another can, it'll take ten minutes," Sandy replied softly, nose buried in her hair as she laughed softly. "Feeling better sweetie?"

"A little. I still think I could sleep for a year, but I can breathe a little," she replied, turning to look at him, nose brushing his lightly. "Must be because of my wonderful nurses."

Sandy rolled his eyes, leaning up to press his lips to hers quickly before Sophie called to them eagerly from the kitchen.

"You're going to get sick and I'm going to laugh at you," Kirsten teased lightly, standing up and dragging Sandy with her, shaking her head when he pressed in close to her, brushing her hair aside to mouth lightly at her neck.

"But I'll have such a sexy nurse," he murmured in her ear, grinning at her bark of laughter. Kirsten was about to reply when Sophie charged towards them, tugging on the hem of Kirsten's shirt.

"It's soup time Mommy, what's taking you and Daddy so long?"

"Daddy is being silly, Miss Soph, I think you have to tickle attack him," Kirsten answered seriously; there was a split second before Sophie jumped, fingers tickling him as Kirsten stood to the side, laughing. Sandy shifted so Sophie wound up over his shoulder, giggling as she hammered at his back with her small fists, to no avail.

"Daddy put me _down_, we have to make Mommy her soup!" Sophie exclaimed, giggling. "Mommy needs her soup!"

"Alright, alright, I relent," Sandy said, sliding Sophie down to the ground and heading for the stove. "Soup it is!"

"Now you'll finally feel better Mommy!" Sophie beamed, coming to climb into Kirsten's lap as Kirsten brushed back her blonde curls, kissing her forehead.

And by the next day, Kirsten felt herself again. The day after that, Sandy woke up with a fever and a cough.

Kirsten spends the entire day telling him she told him so.


End file.
